What is so difficult about...
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:14 pm
What is so difficult about focusing on what you, as a reader, enjoy seeing in stories, and want more of?
I have been coming and reading stuff on the eunuch.org stories archive off and on for two or three years now (I only just recently realized there was a whole big active forum community here, too, and decided I should stop being a "lurker") and it didn't take me long at all to figure out what kinds of stories I liked best, and which kinds I would have at best an academic curiosity about.
Leaving aside punctuation, spelling, and other writing-craft issues to focus on content/theme...
For me personally, many of the stories I've enjoyed the most & go back and re-read are by Nathan, especially in his "Ayzintion City" series. The "New Neighbor Boy" series by Anonymous has grabbed my attention so well that I started coming to the site daily, looking for updates, and that's how I wound up finding & registering for the forum. The stories that tend to lead to me shuddering (in the bad way) and stabbing the browser "back" button, on the other hand, include pretty much anything with clitoridectomy or FGM -- but I'm not saying those stories shouldn't be on the archive. (Also those kinds of stories in particular are usually easy for me to avoid thanks to the content tags.)
For me to start a thread (or even comment in another thread) saying, "Because I don't like clitoridectomy stories, therefore they shouldn't be allowed on the archive anymore, and people who post them should be banned!" would be stupid and extremely rude. There are plenty of people who do want to read about that theme, and my disliking it is no reason why they should have to go elsewhere looking for such stories.
It's just as easy -- and arguably more efficient -- for me to point to stories with themes (and/or writing style) that I enjoy, and suggest that authors post "more like that, please!"
Me, personally? I'm always happy to read a new story by Nathan (unless there's a theme I don't care for, but the whole point of this post is not to just write up a list of stuff I don't like in archive stories) and, as I also said above, I'm anxiously waiting for the next installment in the "New Neighbor Boy" series.
My favorite themes in general, for fiction, involve forced castrations (and/or penectomies) -- or at least castrations where the recipient is unwilling -- especially if the castration is either part of an established cultural tradition, such as routine castration of a slave caste in stories set in a real or imagined past or castration of some males for purposes of population control in an imagined future, or if the castration is punishment for rape or another crime.
I also particularly enjoy stories where one or more of the following happens:
the male being castrated, penectomized or nullified gets an erection at some point;
the male being castrated, penectomized or nullified is conscious and receives insufficient or no anaesthesia during the procedure (his peepee hurts
);
the male either ejaculates as a result of being cut, is made to ejaculate before or during the procedure, or has been told he will be modified only if he ejaculates but is unable to prevent himself from ejaculating;
a device which delivers electricity to the male's genitals is used, including for prostate-milking;
a cauterizing device of some kind is used on the male's genitals prior to, during or after the modification;
an explosive device of some kind is used on the male's genitals, such as in Nathan's story "Prison Doc" -- which I think might have been the first story I ever read here, actually.
See, it isn't that hard; I just did it.
Having just done it, I can tell you all that it can be challenging to admit to liking those kinds of themes even just in fiction/fantasy. (Many of you I'm sure have already discovered and gotten over that yourselves.) Human nature and human history are full of people attacking others in order to feel better about themselves, though. I suppose for some people, complaining about what they don't like might be easier than complimenting what they do like.
The compliments route still seems more likely to lead to more of what one wants, though. If what I really want is more t-shirts in turquoise and purple, but instead of asking for them all I do is complain how much I hate red t-shirts and yellow t-shirts, I'll have only myself to blame when next season's shirts are all brown or gray henleys.
I have been coming and reading stuff on the eunuch.org stories archive off and on for two or three years now (I only just recently realized there was a whole big active forum community here, too, and decided I should stop being a "lurker") and it didn't take me long at all to figure out what kinds of stories I liked best, and which kinds I would have at best an academic curiosity about.
Leaving aside punctuation, spelling, and other writing-craft issues to focus on content/theme...
For me personally, many of the stories I've enjoyed the most & go back and re-read are by Nathan, especially in his "Ayzintion City" series. The "New Neighbor Boy" series by Anonymous has grabbed my attention so well that I started coming to the site daily, looking for updates, and that's how I wound up finding & registering for the forum. The stories that tend to lead to me shuddering (in the bad way) and stabbing the browser "back" button, on the other hand, include pretty much anything with clitoridectomy or FGM -- but I'm not saying those stories shouldn't be on the archive. (Also those kinds of stories in particular are usually easy for me to avoid thanks to the content tags.)
For me to start a thread (or even comment in another thread) saying, "Because I don't like clitoridectomy stories, therefore they shouldn't be allowed on the archive anymore, and people who post them should be banned!" would be stupid and extremely rude. There are plenty of people who do want to read about that theme, and my disliking it is no reason why they should have to go elsewhere looking for such stories.
It's just as easy -- and arguably more efficient -- for me to point to stories with themes (and/or writing style) that I enjoy, and suggest that authors post "more like that, please!"
Me, personally? I'm always happy to read a new story by Nathan (unless there's a theme I don't care for, but the whole point of this post is not to just write up a list of stuff I don't like in archive stories) and, as I also said above, I'm anxiously waiting for the next installment in the "New Neighbor Boy" series.
My favorite themes in general, for fiction, involve forced castrations (and/or penectomies) -- or at least castrations where the recipient is unwilling -- especially if the castration is either part of an established cultural tradition, such as routine castration of a slave caste in stories set in a real or imagined past or castration of some males for purposes of population control in an imagined future, or if the castration is punishment for rape or another crime.
I also particularly enjoy stories where one or more of the following happens:
the male being castrated, penectomized or nullified gets an erection at some point;
the male being castrated, penectomized or nullified is conscious and receives insufficient or no anaesthesia during the procedure (his peepee hurts
);the male either ejaculates as a result of being cut, is made to ejaculate before or during the procedure, or has been told he will be modified only if he ejaculates but is unable to prevent himself from ejaculating;
a device which delivers electricity to the male's genitals is used, including for prostate-milking;
a cauterizing device of some kind is used on the male's genitals prior to, during or after the modification;
an explosive device of some kind is used on the male's genitals, such as in Nathan's story "Prison Doc" -- which I think might have been the first story I ever read here, actually.
See, it isn't that hard; I just did it.
Having just done it, I can tell you all that it can be challenging to admit to liking those kinds of themes even just in fiction/fantasy. (Many of you I'm sure have already discovered and gotten over that yourselves.) Human nature and human history are full of people attacking others in order to feel better about themselves, though. I suppose for some people, complaining about what they don't like might be easier than complimenting what they do like.
The compliments route still seems more likely to lead to more of what one wants, though. If what I really want is more t-shirts in turquoise and purple, but instead of asking for them all I do is complain how much I hate red t-shirts and yellow t-shirts, I'll have only myself to blame when next season's shirts are all brown or gray henleys.
